Book Reviews

I thought this one was out of my wheelhouse. It definitely isn’t something that I would typically ask to review. I worked with the author Kelly Jensen on the Cybils Awards, and when I heard that she had a YA Nonfiction title being published, I had to read it.

By the time I turned the last page I had internalized the message that Feminism is so much more than I ever realized.

This book is more than just a primer on feminism and includes the first person stories, poems, and essays of so many different people. Before reading this, I would not have labeled myself a feminist as I always thought of that term in one way when in fact this book contains messages that apply to boys, girls, women, men, and non-binary genders.

I felt like I learned something new from every single entry. If you have a teen that self-identifies as a feminist this book is a must. If you have a teen that doesn’t know what feminism is this book is also a must.

Feminists can identify as female, male, transgender, gender queer, or any other way they wish to. They can choose to choose no identity at all or choose one identity today and a different one next week. What physical parts individuals have or do not have has no bearing on their feminism nor on their right to be part of the feminism party. All that matters is that they believe in equality for every individual.

Whether you identify as a trans man, move fluidly among genders, enjoy having sex freely, or prefer not to have sex at all, you belong here and you matter.

This book doesn’t push any particular agenda, so parents don’t need to worry that this book is pro- anything besides being pro-human understanding. All the writers give their perspective on their subject matter without saying living in any certain way is best. My copy doesn’t have the finished graphics,(it is set up like a scrapbook) and I can’t wait to see it in book form.

I'm a lifelong bibliophile who happens to love children's books and who should have become a librarian. Instead I horde books in case of apocalypse or the enactment of a Fahrenheit 451 type law. My five kids accept my addiction and have learned to accept books in odd places.